


List of soulmate variations

by MLake867



Category: Commentary on Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Commentary, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi, Platonic Soulmates, Romantic Soulmates, Soul Bond, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-05-16 05:25:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,874
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14805195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MLake867/pseuds/MLake867
Summary: This is a long list of all the different soulmate variations I have seen, broken out into categories. It includes some commentary on various types. Please comment if you know of one I missed or if you have other suggestions.





	List of soulmate variations

There are a large number of variations on the soulmate theme. This is a list of descriptions, not prescriptions. If you want to use any of them as described, feel free, but by Vectron's Kindly Claw don't let yourself be constrained by anything in here. I reserve the right to mercilessly mock anyone who complains about someone else's fic for contradicting the definitions here.

I thought about putting this list of in the fanlore wiki, but the list seemed way more long winded than seemed appropriate there. I will try to edit this to include new variations that come up if I see them.

Background: Soulmate stories generally include groups of two or more people (any genders) that are destined by Fate, the universe, God(s), or what have you, to be together. The stories often include characters' speculations about the source, but rarely identify it directly. The soulmates may be platonic or romantic. Characters may or may not be able to reject the soulmate. Such a rejection could be with or without social, physical, and/or emotional consequences. The main distinction that makes it a soulmate story is that there is some indicator that people are actual soulmates, rather than merely very compatible people. However, some fics labeled as soulmates are referring to the RL version, in which people who are particularly compatible get called soulmates without any proof that soulmates actually exist.

Proofs of soulmateship are sometimes referred to as “soulmarks,” even when they are not of a visible type. I have broken the below list down into categories, though some may actually fit more than one category. These are just my names for categories, if anyone knows of an official (well, consensus) name of something, I’d be happy to change it. In some fics, people bond or "confirm the bond" by touching soulmarks together and/or by an act of will. Often these bonds are made during intimate relations, either as a requirement in the fic's 'verse or by choice.

In stories with non-human characters (e.g., Aliens, supernatural creatures, AIs, etc.) the type of soulmark may vary by species. For example, in some fics, humans have soulmark words, and Asgardians get a mark when they first touch their soulmate. Some fics use the soulmark method of one of the pair; other fics use the respective mark types of each. This may be an issue in fics where one species doesn’t have soulmarks at all, or where their species normally has visible-from-birth marks and the other has visible on first contact marks. For example, an alien with visible soulmarks may find themselves explaining to a human with no indication of a match (or alternately a new tattoo they can’t account for) that they are their soulmate, despite soulmates (or soulmarks) not being a thing for humans in that fic.

 

**Category I. Identifiers**

These are soulmarks that allow you to know who your soulmate(s) is/are when you find/lose them, but generally don’t let you track them down or identify them in advance (specific instances may vary, such as first words that happen to include names, locations, etc.). This may be definitive (first words are unique) or ambiguous (first words just say "hello"). In some fics, technology may be brought to bear on an Identifier (e.g., a website that will compare a picture of your mark with handwriting samples of other users).

Many fics with Identifiers include some secondary indication of who the match is. Timers may beep or flash when they hit zero. A soulmark may burn or itch when the words are spoken by the soulmate, but not when someone else speaks the same words. Words are often in the handwriting of the person speaking them (either changing over time or the handwriting at the time of the meeting). Words may change color at meeting.

Identifiers may or may not indicate whether or not a soulbond is going to be platonic or romantic, either by color or by location on the body. They may or may not indicate the gender of the soulmate. Identifiers may change at soulmate's death, e.g., disappearing or turning gray. In some fics, not having met your soulmate means you can't die yet, though you could die seconds after. In others, they can die before you ever meet them. 

Identifiers may show up at different times. An identifier may show up from birth, or the birth of the younger/youngest member of a soulmate pair/group. It may show up at a particular age or a range of ages, or at some life event. Some identifiers show up at the moment of first meeting, or some significant moment after that.

Any predictive identifiers implicitly require someone with Timelord levels of mojo, or more likely divine intervention. Identifiers that provide predictive information may create a bootstrap paradox. For example, a mark that says “why are you carrying a frog and a piece of chalk” may cause someone to carry a frog and a piece of chalk solely because that is in their soulmate words. As another example, someone may run to or away from a particular location as their timer nears zero, to avoid some type of person, only to run into their soulmate as a result of that running.

Identifiers include:

1) Timers on the body, usually the wrist, that count down to soulmate meeting (may be natural or technological, technological ones may only work if your soulmate has one installed)

2) Timers that count down to soulmate death (sometimes with transferable amounts of time from you to soulmate)

3) First words (that will someday be spoken to you by your soulmate) as a tattoo on you

4) First words (that will someday be heard from your soulmate, whether addressed to you or not)

5) Last words to soulmate (generally in angst stories)

6) Marks that are copies of each other (abstract or representational)

7) Marks that complement (make a larger pattern when brought together or mirror each other)

8) Marks that represent some aspect of the soulmate (arrows for Hawkeye, etc.)

9) Voice in your head when you think is voice of soulmate, but your own language/inflections

10) See in color for the first time when you meet your soulmate (alternate, stop seeing in color)

11) Patches of color appear on you when soulmate touches you (first time, or any time)

12) Mark at the location where soulmate will first touch you

13) One eye your color and the other eye your soulmate's color (I guess you are screwed if you happen to have the same eye color as your soulmate)

14) Can't lie to your soulmate

15) Your soulmate gets scarred each time you lie to them

16) Stuck in a timeloop until you meet your soulmate

17) Whatever body part first touches your soulmate gets stuck to them for some duration

18)  You develop soulmate scents at some age or age range. You lose the ability to smell your soulmate's favorite scents until you smell it in their presence (I first saw it in a fic by [forgetforgotten](https://archiveofourown.org/users/forgetforgotten/pseuds/forgetforgotten))

**Category II. Finders**

Some soulmarks can, to a greater or lesser extent help you find your soulmate. I’m calling these “Finders.” In some fics, the society considers it rude, or unlucky to use these methods to actually track down a soulmate rather than waiting until they are close enough to notice the connection.

Finders include:

1) Compass pointing to soulmate (this and the string example below may be somewhat metaphorical, for example, in almost all stories I have seen with an off Earth soulmate the compass/string just points up, if it was actually going to point toward another star, it would rotate around every 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4 seconds, that is: once each Sidereal day. For example, if it pointed up at midnight it should point roughly down at noon).

2) Red string pointing toward and/or connecting to soulmate (Red strings may be visible only to the soulmates, or not visible at all except to Seers)

3) Distance indicator without direction

4) Soulmate's name (Full, partial, or one or more initials), may include birthdate

5) See their footprints for some time after they walk by.

6) By scent

7) (In a Harry Potter AU) Patronus may seek out soulmate

 

**Category III. Random information**

Some soulmarks are informational without conscious control over the information. No direct way is available to affect what shows up.

1) Revelations (temporary display of various specific types of then current info at various ages, e.g., favorite animal at age 5, what your loved ones think of you at age 15, etc.)

2) Daily tidbit of random information (e.g., sleeping, ate steak for dinner, met a cute girl/guy etc.)

3) Hear the soulmate’s first lullaby (though in at least one fic, parents would make up unique ones so their kid would be able to identify their soulmate from it)

4) Heart-songs/Soul-songs (every person knows the song and/or singing voice of their soulmate and so can identify them by hearing them sing in person, obviously limiting to mute characters, who aren't necessarily excluded but have a bit more difficulty making the connection.) [addition suggested by [GirlWithaPearlEarring](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GirlWithaPearlEarring/pseuds/GirlWithaPearlEarring) in comments]

5) Share a common song (Variation on heart-songs) but both hear the same song without the specific voice of the soulmate.

6) Soulmate thoughts showing up as a mark on the skin - variations include your soulmate's first thought, first thought about you, and a changing soul mark that reflects what's going through your soulmate's head [addition suggested by [GirlWithaPearlEarring](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GirlWithaPearlEarring/pseuds/GirlWithaPearlEarring) in comments]

 

**Category IV. Directed information**

These are soulmarks that are to a greater or lesser extent controlled by the soulmates. Anything where the timing or content of the information is controllable fits this category. Most if not all of these could be exploited to find your soulmate, though that rarely happens in fics, due to societal pressure or filters on the information. For example, what you write on yourself appears on the soulmate, but not your name, address or phone number. Generally the fics do not delve too deeply into the filters, avoiding questions like “I can’t write words, but I can draw pictures, so how about I spell my name with the first letters of images, drawing an apple for an “A” an egg for an “E,” etc.

1) Anything written and/or drawn on you shows up on your soulmate(s)

2) Marks and bruises on your soulmate show up on you

3) Mental or emotional connections (telepathy or empathy)

4) Switching bodies, either at some specified time, at some emotional event, or at a random time

5) Feel the pain, and/or other physical sensations, of your soulmate (yet I haven't seen anyone invent a Morse code shocker to send them your phone number)

6) When you kiss someone other than your soulmate, you and they feel a sensation (e.g., a chill on the lips, Morse kissing?)

7) Hear whatever music they are hearing (and yet nobody makes up their own songs)

 

That’s 37 so far and I’m sure there are other variants. Feel free to describe one in a comment and I’ll add it to the list.


End file.
